I wonder how football pundits in Europe have just discovered that there is someone called Andrei Arshavin worth watching in Russia. A scout is someone responsible for detecting hidden talents all over the world for the intention of selecting a suitable player for his respective club. But when those talents become visible to everyone, the scout's role simply erodes. Arshavin has been magnificent for club and country throughout the past couple of years, but he burst onto the scene only after starring in two EURO 2008 games. Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger admitted he would have wanted to sign the Russian sensation if he was 21 or 22 years old. The French manager went on to explain why Arshavin and Co. are only being noticed now. "Mainly I would say that you discovered Russian players only at this tournament because you see them playing less. All the others you know." Arshavin was named Russian Footballer of the Year in 2006, after which he sparkled for Zenit, leading them to a sensational UEFA Cup triumph last season. The quality of the player is the fact that matters, not where he plays. So for a genuine football follower, the dexterous striker is no emerging talent.
A decent footballer does not have to wait so long to bare the fruits of his efforts and get a better move. "It's not only me. There are many good players in my country, but people are now discovering us," said Arshavin. The same applies to Roman Pavlyuchenko, who scored twice against England in the qualifiers, but was only discerned when goals started to flow in Austria and Switzerland. Another EURO 2008 revelation is Holland midfielder Orlando Engelaar, who is now on the wishlist of clubs in the Premiership and the Bundesliga. However, Engelaar is 28, he was not that impressive for the Oranje in the EURO finals, but caught attention because he played regularly. There is no question that top competitions should introduce new faces to the world of football every now and then, but is also unfair to those who cannot get an opportunity to shine. The 1996 competition in England was followed by an exodus of home-based Czech Republic players to top European leagues. But what would have happened if the team failed to the EURO finals? Does that mean that the likes of Pavel Nedved, Karel Poborsky, Vladimir Smicer and others would have remained in anonymous? A decent footballer does not have to wait so long to bare the fruits of his efforts and get a better move. Or else UEFA should be considering the prospect of holding the competition every two years (against popular demand), so that more hidden talents could be unlocked.
